Red and Grey
by loveretriever
Summary: Ron/Luna - written for a prompt. Ron thinks his friends have deserted him. Luna steps in to cheer him up.


Written for a prompt with Luna/Ron, television (I made it telly), and Accio

Word count: 2419

* * *

Ron Weasley was nervous. Audibly gulping, he took his Gryffindor courage in hand and did the one thing Fate allowed him: he sat down next to Luna Lovegood in the only space available. Without a word, the carriage took off, heading towards the castle.

Luna was reading a copy of The Quibbler, an odd magazine run by her father. Except, she was holding the mag upside down. Ron stared at her incredulously as if he was unable to believe such a person existed.

After several moments of silence, Luna finally looked up and caught his stare.

"Can you see them, too?" she whispered.

Ron, unsure of himself, whispered back, "See what?"

"The thestrals, of course," Luna said, as if that explained everything.

"Sorry, what are thestrals?" Ron asked.

"They can only be seen by those who have seen Death," Luna explained with all the mystery of a true Seer. Then, after giving Ron a piercing glance, too much akin to Professor Trelawney's gaze, Luna disappeared behind her Quibbler.

Ron, shaking, looked to first Harry, then Hermione, for support. Harry shook his head. Hermione merely shrugged. It was Loony - er, Luna - Lovegood after all.

Neville, the final occupant of the carriage, said, "Thestrals are associated with bad luck, Ron. But they don't bring bad luck. It's just, in myth, thestrals are harbingers of doom and death." Then, humming cheerily, Neville continued to tend his plant, what he called a Mimblueus Mimbletonia - or some such nonsense. Ron didn't care for plants, so he didn't bother to remember Neville's words.

Several weeks passed before Ron saw Luna again. It was almost Halloween.

"Hello, Ron," Luna said, a cheery smile on her face.

"Uh, hello, Luna," Ron said, looking down at her bare feet.

"Where are you off to?" Luna asked.

"I'm, well, I was going to the lake, but I think I just remembered I have a potion to brew," Ron said. Blushing, he amended his statement. "I mean, no, I don't have a potion to brew just yet. But I will be brewing a potion. I'm - IhavePotionswithSlughorn. SeeyoulaterorI'mgoingtobelate!" He yelled his last remark from the bottom of the stairs and raced away to the dungeons.

Luna simply stared after him. To Padma Patil, Luna said, "I think he likes me."

Padma shook her head. She had been Ron's date to the Yule Ball and had nothing good to report of him. Still, he was odd and so was Luna. Maybe the two should be together. Smiling at her friend, Padma accompanied Luna to the library, where the two studied History of Magic together.

"Ugh!" Ron groaned when he reached the Potions classroom.

"Welcome, Wallabee!" Slughorn called out. "Open your textbook to page thirty-six. That is the potion we are brewing today."

"Uh, Professor, sir?" Ron asked tentatively.

"Yes, Mr. Wombley?" Slughorn said, voice tense.

"I don't exactly have a textbook. See, Professor McGonagall just sent me here. I wasn't supposed to be taking Potions this year..." his voice trailed off as several people in the class snickered.

Slughorn gave the class a stern glance and everyone resumed their individual potion-making.

"Ah, never fear, Wasselly. As chance would have it, I happened upon a cupboard with extra books right over there." Slughorn pointed to a corner cabinet. "Help yourself."

"My name's Weasley," Ron mumbled to no one in particular. Grumbling at his bad luck, Ron obeyed and got to work. Finding a seat near Harry and Hermione cheered him up a little. At least, enough to ignore Slughorn's comments.

Potions was awful as far as Ron was concerned. Mostly because Harry got all the attention and Hermione was brilliant as ever, always ready with an answer. Both of them were invited to Slughorn's little party. Ron Wastely or Waffley - whatever ridiculous name Slughorn came up with - was only second rate compared to his friends.

Consumed with jealousy, Ron said something mean to Hermione and shot Harry dark looks until the two took off for the dungeons. Then, bemoaning his curse of loneliness, Ron walked down to the Great Hall.

"Hello, Ron," Luna greeted him at the door.

"Not now, Luna," Ron moaned. "I'm not in the mood."

"What's wrong?" Luna asked, genuinely concerned. Although she was a much closer friend with Harry and Hermione, Ron was someone whom she thought she could trust. Mostly because Harry spoke so highly of him as a friend.

"You wouldn't understand," Ron replied acidly. "You don't have friends, so you wouldn't know what it's like to be deserted by them."

"Oh, Ron, I'm sorry to hear that. But you're wrong. I know exactly what you mean. You see, I used to have a lot of friends when I was younger. But, after Mum died, I had fewer and fewer friends each year. Now, I don't have many." Luna sighed. "But what seems to be your problem?"

"Problem? My problem?" Ron chuckled, sitting down at the Gryffindor table. He had no clue how he had gotten from the doorway to here, but he filled his plate. Details, details - that wasn't important.

"My best mates," Ron continued, ignoring his mental asides, "left me to go cavorting at Slughorn's little party." Ron hissed in displeasure. Cramming food into his mouth, he ate in silence for several minutes.

"I'm sure they didn't mean to leave you out of anything," Luna said, positive of her estimate of Harry and Hermione's characters.

"No, they just wanted me to be alone so they could be together," Ron spat nastily, spraying spit all over the table. Several fellow Gryffindors moved away from him, disgusted. Ron shot nasty sneers back at them before continuing his pity fest. "'S not like Slughorn even notices me. I mean, the guy can't even get my name right. It's WEASLEY. How hard is that to say?" Ron poked his mashed potatoes dejectedly. Luna placed a small hand on his arm.

"It's okay, Ron, to be upset and to feel jealous. It's normal. I haven't gotten an invite to Slughorn's party, either. But Ginny did."

"Ginny? My little sister, Ginny?" Ron exclaimed.

Oops, Luna thought, I shouldn't have said that. Sighing, Luna continued.

"Yes, your sister Ginny is now dining with the Slug Club. However, I think it is fair to say that a lot of students have succeeded without Professor Slughorn's help or approval. Just look at Professor Snape." Luna nodded her head at the Staff table. "He didn't have Professor Slughorn's approval, but he ranked among the best masters of Dark Arts and he happens to be one of the few true Potions Masters in England."

Ron gaped at Luna as if she was off her rocker. Snape was being praised?

"Luna, do you know how seriously crazy you sound?" Ron asked angrily. He hated Snape's guts, so no way in hell would he ever realize how amazing Snape's accomplishments were. If he had any, Ron thought, aside from being a notorious Death Eater!

"Ron, 'it is a fine thing to be honest, but it is also very important to be right,' or so a famous man said on the telly," Luna confided. "I had to watch it once," she admitted, "I didn't quite understand at the time." Ron continued to stare at her, so Luna stood up and patted his shoulder.

"It's alright, Ron. You'll be fine. At least your head isn't full of wrackspurts." With that parting remark, Luna smiled and left the Great Hall.

"Ron," Neville said, once Luna had left, "maybe you should try a Scourgify spell."

"You wot?" Ron asked, mouth full of cornbread.

"Scourgify!" Neville said, pointing his wand at the table first, then at Ron. "There, now how do you feel?"

"Like I got brushed," Ron squeaked, hastily swallowing his food. "Um, thanks Neville? Although I'm not sure if I needed that."

"Anytime, Ron. Anytime," Neville beamed.

Ron didn't know which he found more comforting: Luna's point about wrackspurts, or seeing Neville walk away. Thrusting all thought into the back of his mind, Ron headed for the Gryffindor Common Room. Not seeing Harry, Hermione and Ginny, Ron went to his dorm. Jumping onto his bed, Ron relaxed for the first time.

A sudden thought came into his head. If he had the Map, he could see exactly who was at dinner with Slughorn. Looking about, he didn't see any of Harry's belongings, so he reasoned they must be in Harry's trunk. It seemed wrong to snoop. He knew Ginny had done it once, but she had been cursed and, to this day, she felt bad about it. Still, Ron needed that Map. Sighing, he said the only spell he knew for such a situation.

"Accio, Map!" Harry's trunk, sitting neatly at the foot of his bed, opened violently and out flew the Marauder's Map. It landed obediently in Ron's hand.

Ron couldn't have guessed which was more amazing, that no one else heard the noise Harry's trunk made, or the fact that the spell worked for him the very first time he tried it. Hmm, he thought, guess the new wand is working properly.

Opening the Map, he tapped it gently and said, "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good."

The Map unfolded with the usual greeting. Ron ignored it and perused the dungeons until he found where his friends presumably sat, enjoying a wonderful dinner Ron would never know. Disgusted with the whole affair, Ron was interested to see that Ginny wasn't listed - oh wait, she had just walked in. He didn't even bother thinking about where she had been before. It just cemented the idea in his brain that everyone else was having a grand time tonight without him. Oh bother.

Ron sat up straight in bed as he saw the names of Cormac McLaggen, Blaise Zabini, and Marcus Belby, along with several others he didn't recognize. Exactly how big was this dinner party? And why would Harry, Hermione and Ginny accept the invite if only to dine with Ravenclaws and Slytherins? Becoming frustrated, Ron checked the hallways for Filch and Snape. Surprisingly, Snape was nowhere to be found, but Filch and Peeves were listed as being in the same hallway - the second floor corridor, near Moaning Myrtle's bathroom - so that meant Filch and Peeves must be arguing. Checking the grounds, Ron was startled to find a label for Luna Lovegood near Hagrid's Hut.

Making up his mind, Ron slipped into his warmer jumper and pocketed the map. He'd explain to Harry later how important this was. Carefully ensuring he wasn't seen, Ron sidled out of the portrait hole and slowly made his way through the castle. Taking a shortcut shown on the map, Ron exited the building and found himself on the grounds near the lake. Perfect. Walking quickly, Ron made good time. Stopping for a moment to catch his breath, he caught sight of Luna's outline and was breathless.

In the starlight, Luna positively glowed. She gave the impression of being a beautiful, ethereal creature - one who didn't seem to be real. She was wearing a white dress that accented her pale skin and blonde hair. Her big grey eyes fit perfectly against the night sky, as though the stars brought out the personality of her soul.

Ron had never been good at romance or poetry, but now he felt his tongue loosen. Luna was approaching and he had to say something.

"Luna!" he called out. Immediately, his mind became flustered and he cursed himself as an idiot.

Luna stopped in her tracks until she spotted Ron. Waving hurriedly, she ran towards him.

"What are you doing?" she asked. "This is a curious spot to be hiding. You're in plain sight."

"I'm not hiding, Luna. Not anymore."

"What changed your mind?" Luna inquired, curious to know what could have improved Ron's mood.

"You," Ron breathed, feeling enchanted. "You're so beautiful. Oh, Luna, why couldn't I see it before? You're perfect just the way you are. When you stand in the starlight, your eyes - your hair! - oh, I'm not saying it proper at all." Ron groaned at how idiotic he sounded.

"No, go on," Luna smiled, encouraging him. "You were doing so well before you doubted yourself."

"I just want to say, Luna, you are the prettiest person - no, girl - I've ever met. I don't know why people say the things they do about you. You don't deserve any of it."

"Ron, you've said some things about me," Luna reminded him.

"And I take it all back!" he protested loudly.

"Shhh," Luna whispered. "It's okay, Ron. I've wanted to do this for awhile." Luna leaned forward and kissed Ron on his nose.

"There," she laughed, stepping back. "Happy?"

"No," Ron said, reaching for Luna's arm. Pulling her towards him, he crashed his lips against hers. The kiss was wet and sloppy, not at all what Ron imagined a hero's kiss should be.

Luna giggled when they separated. "That was fun, Ron," she said, "although I could do with a bit less saliva."

"Sorry," Ron mumbled, skin flushed an even darker red than his hair. "I don't have much experience with this."

"It's okay," Luna grinned, showing her teeth. "I do."

Taking the plunge, Luna snogged Ron senseless.

When they finally separated for the night, Ron's eyes were glazed over in pure happiness. Luna shone with a radiance not even Malfoy's platinum blonde hair could match.

"Goodnight, Ron," Luna said the magic words.

"Goodnight, fairest Luna," Ron replied gallantly. "Until tomorrow."

"Fare thee well, oh Romeo," Luna giggled, quoting more famous people Ron didn't know.

For a moment, Ron was bothered about the mention of Romeo.

"Oh, Ron, he's just a character in a play," Luna explained, giving him another quick peck on the cheek. "Now, hurry! You don't want to be caught out of bed."

Ron nodded and left once he made sure Luna was safely inside Ravenclaw Tower. Romeo or not, Ron wouldn't have his reputation ruined because a bloke wasn't careful.


End file.
